OTC signs articulation agreement with online university

Ozarks Technical Community College officials today signed an articulation agreement with online university WGU Missouri.

The partnership allows OTC students to transfer credits to the Missouri chapter of Western Governors University, which was established early last year through an executive order by Gov. Jay Nixon. According to a news release, the agreement also gives OTC students a 5 percent discount on tuition and a first-year waiver of the $65 application fee for the online university, which aims to increase the number of Missourians with post-secondary degrees.

OTC Provost Steve Bishop said the collaboration serves as a way for students at the Springfield school to attain their bachelor's degrees.

“Our institutions share a focus on student success and we know that WGU Missouri offers a student-centered experience that helps even the busiest adults continue their education," he said in the release.

WGU charges a flat-rate tuition of roughly $3,000 per six-month term, a rate that hasn't changed in seven years. According to the release, the school is Missouri's only fully online competency-based university - a term referring to flexible times for students to complete credit hours.